Please visit me in my garden, among the flowers and weeds, as I carve out a little patch of heaven in this rainy Pacific Northwest. I hope to share with you some of the joys, the triumphs, the techniques I learn along the way, and maybe some favourite garden recipes and art projects, too.

About Me

ING Direct $25 New Client Bonus

I'm glad to have discovered ING Direct - Great savings and lending rates, and convenient online transfer of funds to/from your traditional chequing/savings account.
Open an account with $100 or more, enter my Orange Key 26791442S1 when you open the account, and we will each receive a $25 bonus. SPECIAL: $50 each for July and August 2012.
Sorry, I think this $25 offer is only available to Canadians.

Site Meter

Followers

There was an error in this gadget

Click to feed these hungry fish

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Stick Bug Unsuccessful Hatching

In the couple of years I've been keeping stick bugs, I have had a lot of babies hatch, but have not been able to witness any hatchings - until a couple of days ago. Or sort of. I saw a stick in the bottom of the cage, which looks like it had a failed attempt at hatching (I've had a couple of those). But as I reached to remove it from the cage, it moved slightly.

I gently picked it up, and took it into the kitchen, to watch it more closely, as it attempted to free itself from the egg capsule.

At first it looked like it was pushing with its front legs, to free its tail from the egg. Then as time went on, I realized that the front legs were also helplessly attached to the egg, and only the middle two legs were functioning normally. One of the back legs were broken off (perhaps by my picking it up the first time).

It struggled valiantly for a number of hours. Finally I tried to help pull off the egg capsule, which came off but left behind an unidentified clearish white material, in which the 4 legs were firmly and hopelessly attached. Unfortunately I managed to also break off on of the good legs, in the process. So the situation was pretty bleak. Without legs, this little guy would have no means of survival. I tried to console him that evening with a moistened blackberry leaf, but while his mouth parts moved a bit in response to the leaf, he didn't make any noticeable attempt to chew it. In the morning, he was dead.

Poor little thing. It was sad to see him in that predicament, and not be able to help. But at the same time it was neat to get a little glimpse into the hatching process, even if an unsuccessful one. I still hope one day to witness a successful hatching.

Shady - I bought them from a breeder, and keep them year-round, as "pets". I've had them about 2 years now, and am on my 3rd or 4th generation. I don't think they occur naturally in the "wild" in the Vancouver area, although I've had readers from Toronto note that they occur there. They eat blackberry leaves, which are easy to find here, even in winter.